Angels in Tinseltown
by Grace Hightower
Summary: Kensi and Deeks are headed undercover again. Will their feelings compromise the mission? Sequel to Six Months!
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is the sequel to 'Six Months'. I decided to continue the aftermath of their crazy adventure in this fic. It helps to have read Six Months (it helps a lot) but this could be read as a stand alone fic. Hope you enjoy. Sorry that it took so long to show up, because my mother confiscated my laptop but now I have it back so here goes!

_A whole week off. _Kensi stared out the window of her apartment. _I don't think Hetty's ever let us go three _days _without a case. _

After Kensi and Deeks' return from their trying undercover work in Moscow, Hetty had demanded that her agents take a little time off. Deeks had gladly accepted his fate, but Kensi wasn't so sure. Years of working as a cop had driven her to the belief that every day was a workday.

_I could call Deeks. _She toyed briefly with this idea. Then again, Deeks was probably busy. Most likely drinking his troubles away at some Venice cantina.

After their arrival at LAX and dramatic reunion with the team, Deeks and Kensi had gone their separate ways. Kensi had known then, just as she knew now, that she and Deeks were too different and yet too close to ever work out. Standing under the whirling lights of the Santa Monica Ferris wheel, Kensi had suggested that she and Deeks go their separate ways, and forget about their undercover fling. Deeks had agreed, and she had nodded, and they had stood there awkwardly for a moment before Kensi assured him that they would still be partners and friends, just not lovers. What had once been a raging fire had been extinguished until it was no more than a tiny spark. And that spark was starting to trouble her.

She called Deeks.

…

He answered on the third ring, like always.

" Yeah, Deeks."

She snorted.

" Hey, it's Kensi. Where are you?"

" Venice." Of course he was.

" Are you with anyone?" She inquired carefully.

" Bon Jovi and a bottle of beer, yeah."

" I hate to ask, but I really need a ride to the hospital. Gotta get my stiches looked at."

" Sure." There was the sound of glass clinking in the background. " I'll be right over."

Kensi didn't comment on the fact that he knew exactly where she lived.

…

Deeks came by at noon, and she smelled beer in his car.

" Little early to be drinking." Kensi commented, buckling her seatbelt. Deeks drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and pulled into heavy traffic headed for Santa Monica UCLA Medical Center. A country song was playing quietly on the radio, and Kensi resisted the urge to turn it up and break the silence.

" Never too early to be drinking." Deeks countered. Kensi rolled her eyes, hiding her growing worry. Deeks was turning into the elusive Agent Gibbs: drinking before noon, answering in bluntly honest sentences. She only hoped that he didn't complete the transformation and get married to a series of bank-account draining redheads.

" You can just drop me off." Kensi told Deeks. Her partner snorted.

" I know you hate hospitals, Kensi. I'm not letting you go in there alone."

Kensi turned her face to the window, hiding the grin that she suddenly couldn't wipe off her face.

…

" Looks good, Miss Blye." A young doctor peeled back the bandages covering her shoulder. " I'd say give it a few more days, and then the bandages can come off."

Kensi grinned. Deeks squeezed her shoulder.

" Hetty will be so happy! You can go back to work."

The doctor glanced from Deeks to Kensi.

" Are you two married?"

Kensi let out a snort at the same time Deeks choked.

" What? No!" He sputtered. The doctor gave him a strange look and patted Kensi gently on the leg.

" I'll see you in three weeks. Until then, no hard work or getting shot at, huh?"

Kensi offered him a winning smile.

" Of course not, doctor."

Deeks rolled his eyes and Kensi dug her elbow into his side.

_Only three weeks, and I'm back in the saddle. Or so to speak. _

…

Kensi wasn't expecting any calls, and neither was Deeks, so when their cell phones both rang at the same time, it was a clue that something was up.

It was Hetty.

" Agents Blye, Detective Deeks." Their boss sounded a little agitated. " I have an assignment for you."

Kensi perked up. Deeks, who could obviously hear the exchange, slumped.

" Put it on speakerphone, Agent Blye." Hetty commanded. Kensi obliged.

" An assignment? We just got back from a six month undercover op in Russia, and Kensi here just got shot and-" Deeks' complaint was cut off mid-sentence by Hetty.

" This assignment won't involve getting shot at, or drawing any weapons at all. In fact, all that you will be expected to do is spend the night in a hotel. Does that sound easy, Detective Deeks?"

Deeks turned a desperate gaze to Kensi. His partner shook her head, smirking and mouthed the words, _your choice, lazy boy. _

" Of course I'm in." Deeks said. Hetty chuckled on the other end of the line.

" I'm sure you heard about the break in at the Naval Weapons Station." Hetty said. Kensi nodded. Deeks didn't.

" Well, most of the agency is attempting to solve the case, so we need all hands on deck. This is a simple deal, just a few weapons dealers from Mexico who are under the impression that they are selling guns to two assassins who will use them to attack US Navy personnel."

" Let me guess-we're the assassins." Deeks estimated.

" Very good, Mr. Deeks. All that you and Agent Blye will have to do is hand over one million dollars in cash to the dealers, and you can all go home."

" Do we get strapped?" Deeks asked.

" Concealed weapons, but be prepared to disarm if the dealers instruct you to do so. No fights, agree to their demands." Hetty ordered. " Are you in?"

Deeks was about to say,

_No way in hell _when Kensi spoke for them.

" Yes, of course. We'll be there tomorrow at oh-dark-hundred!"

Hetty hung up.

" Are you nuts?" Deeks moaned. " We just got back from Russia, what, a week and a half ago? And you still have a freaking _bullet wound _in your shoulder, in case you forgot...and let's not forget that these are armed and dangerous weapons dealers…"

Kensi gave a dismissive wave of her hand.

" Don't be a wimp, Deeks."

_Famous last words. _


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I am so, so sorry for not continuing this fiction. A long string of events (confiscated/broken computer, injured wrist, series of ill-timed horse shows, camping trip) have kept me off for a while. But I'm back, with more of everyone's favorite NCIS: LA agents! Don't forget to review!

Disclaimer: Sadly, I own nothing.

" You know what, Kensi?" Deeks stood outside the Hollywood Palms Motel on Hollywood Boulevard, wishing that he were anywhere but there. " This is the kind of place that you hear about on the news. The place where people get murdered. Kind of like the Bates Motel of LA."

He should have turned Hetty down. He was a good agent, he did his part. Hetty knew that, and she probably would have been willing to stick another agent on the case.

_But you couldn't let Kensi do it alone._ Deeks thought. _Why? Who the hell knows. Who the hell cares. _

" Oh, shut it, Deeks." Kensi replied, using her good hand to pry open the motel room door. A musty stench floated out into the hallway, causing the agents to hack and cough.

" Great. Nothing like a little mildew to start the day off right." Deeks grumbled. Kensi just rolled her eyes.

" Wimp."

…

_Tick. Tick. Tick. _The ancient analog clock on the wall ticked by with painstaking slowness. Kensi was sitting on the edge of her bed, slowly polishing the dark surface of her gun. Deeks was back and forth in front of the muted TV. A pert blonde newscaster was mouthing silently in front of some celebrities' home. Neither agent bothered to turn it up.

" Five o'clock." Deeks said. " They should be here by now."

" Calm down." Kensi snapped. " You're making _me _nervous."

" Sorry." He muttered. For a few moments, there was uneasy silence. This eerie quiet was shattered by a harsh rap on the door. Kensi leap up to answer it.

" Hello." A thin, weedy man with a thick mustache stood in the doorway, flanked on either side by muscular bodyguards. His tan complexion and thick accent indicated that the man's homeland was south of the border.

" You must be Katherine Bryers." The man said. Kensi nodded.

" Yes. Please, come inside." She opened the door wider, allowing the men access to the motel room. The thickly mustached man just smirked, as if Kensi were a cute puppy begging for food on the roadside.

" I do not think so, Miss Bryers." He snapped his fingers, and one of the muscled guards handed over a business card. Kensi took it, and tucked it into her pocket.

" There's a cell phone in the Bible in the nightstand." Mr. Mustache informed her. " You and your _boyfriend _can use it to make contact at eight forty-five. We can decide where to meet."

" That sounds fine." Kensi said. She was clearly attempting to win over the obviously cold-hearted arms dealer. It didn't seem to be working. He and his armed guards departed the motel without a backwards glance.

" That went great." Kensi griped, pulling aside the curtain to watch a sleek black car burn rubber out of the motel parking lot.

" You did awesome." Deeks offered, realizing that he hadn't moved from his place on the bed. Suddenly feeling useless, he rose and paced back and forth across the worn carpet.

" Only a few more hours." He shot a nervous glance at the clock. Barely five. The minutes would tick by like hours. " We could go swimming."

Kensi let out a short laugh.

" You're just _dying _to get me in a bikini, aren't you?"

Deeks forced out a chuckle. It wasn't far from the truth. Kensi might be 'over' their short-lived fling, but he wasn't. Deeks couldn't bring himself to admit it to her, but Kensi Blye was on his mind all day. He hadn't even made an effort to hit on the mildly attractive maid who had offered to clean their room earlier.

_I'm crazy. _Deeks thought. _Or in love. Maybe both. _

" Are you okay, Deeks?" Kensi asked. Deeks jumped a little. His partner was staring at him strangely.

" What? Yeah, I'm fine." He replied hastily. Kensi gave him a skeptical look.

" Are you hungry?"

" No, I'm Marty." Deeks answered. He regretted saying it at once. His father had made the nasty joke many times during his youth.

_" Dad, I'm hungry." Deeks would say. His father would snort._

_ " I'm Joe, nice to meet you." _

" No. I'm not. Uh, how bout you?"

Kensi rolled her eyes and it occurred to Deeks just how pretty she looked in the golden afternoon light. Despite their obvious impending doom, Kensi didn't look worried. Distracted, yes. Scared, no.

_How the hell can she stay so calm? _Deeks wondered. He tried to think of any other woman that he knew who would stay so calm and collected in the face of possible danger. He couldn't think of any.

It hit Deeks like a ray of sun what he had to do.

" Kensi." He blurted. " I have something to tell you."

Kensi glanced over.

" I-"

_Ring! Ring! _A cellphone chirped on the nightstand. Kensi lunged for it, holding up a hand to silence Deeks.

" Hello. This is Katherine Bryers."

. _Damn. _Deeks thought. He was never going to win this one.

A/N: Thanks so much for reading! I promise another update by tomorrow or Monday. Tell me what you think of this chapter, and if you have any ideas/suggestions/complaints.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thanks so much to everyone who has reviewed the previous chapters. I have taken your suggestions to heart, never fear, fluff is on the way. I hope everyone has a great week (Monday is a real killer, I know).

Disclaimer: Don't own this amazing show, sadly enough.

" They want to meet in a 24-hour parking lot in downtown." Kensi announced, closing the phone.

" Downtown?" Deeks squeaked. It was already dark outside, meeting in an empty parking lot seemed a little shifty. " Wow…that seems like a great place to get _murdered._"

" Stop being such a wuss." Kensi accused, gathering the case of 'illegal arms', really a suitcase full of very convincing-looking airsoft rifles. She pulled on a battered leather jacket and gave Deeks an impatient glower.

" Hurry the hell up, Deeks."

" Coming, coming." He replied, trying not to sound irritable. He didn't like the thought of heading off into such an uncertain danger without a gun. Hetty had insisted that they remain unwired and unarmed, to prove that they weren't cops in case of a patdown. It would either be a lifesaver or a life-ender. He was praying for the former.

…

" It should be here somewhere." Kensi said, her voice losing a little of the confidence it had earlier held. " They said it would be the 24 hour parking lot on South Spring Street."

She and Deeks were walking slowly down South Spring Street in the full darkness of ten thirty at night. The buildings downtown rose like jagged spires against the cloudy sky.

" This is a terrible idea." Deeks said, not for the first time. " We're not wired, we're not even wearing Kevlar. If we get shot, we're totally screwed."

Kensi pulled her jacket tight around her shoulders, warding off the chill that had settled over the city.

" Deeks, if you don't shut up I'm going to shoot you myself."

…

" Ten minutes." Deeks said, glancing at his watch. " Ten minutes late. That's not a good sign, _Katherine_."

" Stop complaining, _Martin_."

There was a moment of silence. A heavy fog had settled over the city, making the lighted windows of nearby skyscrapers float like fairy lights in the darkness. Kensi was starting to pace, meaning that she was nervous. And when Kensi Blye was nervous, something was seriously wrong.

Both agents jumped when a black van screeched into the parking lot, headlights slicing through the fog. Kensi and Deeks did their best to try and act natural as three men climbed out. Once again, it was the Hispanic arms dealer and his two thickly muscled body guards.

" Glad you could make it." Kensi snarked. Deeks wanted to elbow her, make her shut up. Acting rude probably wasn't a great idea right about now. It also bothered Deeks that they had gone in blind-they didn't even know the arms dealer's name-and without backup. Hetty had obviously thought this was going to be a simple drop-off, but it seemed like more than that.

" Sorry, we were running a little late." He drew the word 'little' out through yellow teeth. One of the muscle men moved forwards and took the case from Kensi's hands.

" Get in the van."

_Shit. _

" What?" Deeks said at once, stalling for time. He prayed for someone, anyone to walk by. They were only a few blocks from the police station, maybe a cop car would drive by, pull over, suspect a drug deal.

" Get in the car, _Agent Blye_." He was speaking only to Kensi, and didn't seem to care much about Deeks.

Kensi's eyes turned dark with fear. Every undercover agent's worst fear is being made while on a mission. Kensi hid deeply within her alias', and when she was jerked so suddenly from them, things rarely went well.

" You think we're cops?" Kensi demanded. The dealer sneered.

" Oh, I _know _you are, Agent Blye."

Suddenly, Deeks found himself kneeling on the ground with something cold and round pressed to his spine.

" Get in the van or your boyfriend takes one in the back."

Kensi glanced, panicked, from the dealer to Deeks.

" Fine." She moved forwards. Deeks wanted to cry out, to stop her. He knew that if she went with the dealers, there was a very slim chance that she'd come back alive.

" I'm going with her."

Kensi's eyes flashed in warning. One of the men jerked Deeks to his feet and shoved him towards the back of the van. He felt a rough hand on his back, than heard a slam. Then darkness.

…

Darkness. Full black, heavy breathing beside him.

_Kensi. _

" Are you okay?" Deeks asked, inching his hand across the van floor to find Kensi's arm.

" Hey!" Kensi jumped. " That wasn't my arm, Deeks."

" Heh heh. Sorry." Deeks said, sitting up. He felt around for something to light the pitch darkness. Kensi, as usual, beat him to the chase. There was a click and suddenly the cramped space was illuminated by the light of a flashlight.

" Much better." Kensi sighed. " Now we just have to get out of here."

" Do you always carry an extra flashlight with you?" Deeks asked. Kensi smirked.

" I don't trust you in the dark."

…

They were hurtling along in the dark, and it was hot inside the van. Kensi had stripped off her leather jacket and was busily searching the back door of the van in jeans and an undershirt.

" If this van was manufactured recently, there should be a switch that will open the trunk from the inside." She muttered. Deeks probed the shadowy corners. The van was much like the one used on undercover operations or stakeouts, sans the surveillance equipment.

" I can't find it." Kensi slumped, dejected. " This van is probably old."

Deeks leaned against the wall. It was growing increasingly warm in the cramped space, and Kensi was peeling off layers of clothing like she was a Vegas showgirl. Deeks tugged at the collar of his shirt. It was hard enough to be alone in the same room as a really hot, scantily-clad girl, let alone his extremely hot, scantily clad coworker.

" Kensi, stop looking." _We're probably not going to get out of this one alive anyway. _

Suddenly, he couldn't bear the thought of dying with so many regrets. A long time ago, when he was a rookie cop, Deeks had promised himself one thing.

_Marty, you're not gonna die with any regrets. _

And though his bucket list had included things like _go parasailing _and _become a millionaire_, he knew the one thing he didn't want to die without doing.

" Kensi, I have to tell you something." Kensi inched towards him.

" Yeah?"

He hesitated. The flashlight was slowly dying, and Kensi's eyes were golden-brown in the fading glow.

_Don't be selfish, Marty. She doesn't feel the same way about you. If you die tonight, you're taking this secret to the grave. _

" Are you as scared as I am?"

Kensi curled against him in the quickly fading light. He wrapped an arm around her, drawing her closer. It was way too hot for human contact, but Deeks felt comforted by the idea that there was someone else sharing his darkness. One of her hands clenched against his shirt, and suddenly he didn't want the van to stop.

" I just don't want to die." She said softly. " I know it sounds selfish and that we signed up for this when we joined NCIS, but I don't want to go."

Deeks pressed his cheek against her sweet-smelling hair.

" I know, Kenz. Neither do I."

Her voice became quiet.

" You know, I thought that when we got back from Russia, when we made it through all of that hell and came home, that we could make it through anything."

Deeks gave her shoulder a squeeze.

" Hey, Kenz. We're not dead yet."

_Yet. _As Kensi's breathing evened out, Deeks rubbed one hand absently up and down her bare arm. He didn't want to know what was ahead of them. They were running blind, and Deeks suddenly thought that even if they were blind and lost, they were blind and lost together.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Hello, my dear readers! Thanks so much for the reviews from last chapter. I promise more cuteness in this one! There is also some 'adult material' in this…tell me if you think I should raise it to an M rating. There is some torture stuff, so don't read if this will offend you. Have a good day!

Disclaimer: Don't own.

_Bang! _The back of the door flew open, and a hand reached inside and hauled Deeks out by the collar. The night air was cool and crisp, and when Deeks inhaled he could smell sagebrush and dust. Someone slapped handcuffs around one his wrists, and he felt someone being forced along in the dark to his right.

_Kensi. They cuffed me to Kensi. _

" Open the door." The dealer ordered. There was the sound of creaking wood, then the overpowering smell of mildew. A loud slam behind them, then darkness.

" Shit." Kensi muttered. Deeks' heart was racing wildly, a kind of feral panic surging through his veins.

" Kensi, we're cuffed together. Can you pick the lock?"

" Yeah. Um, hang on." Kensi's and brushed against his in the dark as she groped for a hair pin. After a few minutes, Deeks heard something click and the cuffs slid from his wrist.

" Where do you think we are?" Kensi asked. Across the cell was a tiny window, no more than six inches long. It afforded a moonlit view of miles of desert, stretching far, far out to the silver-dipped horizon.

When Deeks inhaled, he could smell sage, dust, mesquite. The aromas brought back vague childhood memories of a hunting trip with his father.

" I think we're in Mexico. If not over the border, than pretty damn close."

Kensi stood next to him, nearly pressed against his back.

" Great. Deeks, no one knows where we are. There is no way to find us out here. We're good as dead."

" No." Deeks said, turning away from the window. " We're gonna make it out of here. Think of Russia, Kensi. Think of how we made it out of there."

Kensi slumped against the wall.

" That was Russia, Deeks. This is Mexico."

…

It was dawn when they came back. The arms dealer and his two guards stood in the doorway, cruel faces pockmarked in the pale light.

" Come with me." One of the guards jerked Kensi's arm roughly, dragging her through the doorway.

" No!" Deeks grabbed her wrist. " Take me instead."

If they were going to kill one of them, it might as well be him. Without Kensi, he had nothing to live for. The arms dealer smirked.

" Very well. We'll just take you both."

…

Deeks was handcuffed to a drainpipe sticking out of the wall while Kensi was tied to a chair in the middle of a very long room. Dusty light filtered in through a tiny slot, creating an eerie atmosphere. The arms dealer paced back and forth before Kensi.

" So tell me, Agent Blye. How long have you been working at NCIS?"

Kensi remained silent. There was a sharp crack, as if she had been struck in the face. She didn't even whimper.

" Long enough." She said softly. The arms dealer laughed.

" Do you know who I am?"

" No." Kensi replied. Deeks couldn't tell if she was lying or not.

" They call me _Leon_ in Mexico." The arms dealer said. " Do you know why?"

" No." Kensi said.

" Because I tear my enemies apart. Tell me, Agent Blye. How will it feel to be torn limb from limb? Do you think you'll scream?"

Deeks looked desperately for something to pick his cuffs with. There was nothing. Nothing but dust and despair.

Kensi remained silent.

" Do you know why you're here?"

His heavily accented broken English had fallen away, replaced by barely-accented English. The man was a mystery and a monster.

" Because you're a psychopath who enjoys kidnapping federal agents?" Kensi suggested. There was another loud _crack _and something twisted Deeks' stomach. Every blow that his partner took felt like a blow to him as well.

There was a sound like steel on steel.

" This is the sharpest knife I have. It's so sharp that some people say they cannot even feel anything when it first cuts. However, you will certainly feel it when it slices your pretty little face to ribbons."

There was a sharp cry from across the room. Deeks fought his restraints until one of the guards came to haul him away. Even back in the dimly lit cell, Deeks could hear Kensi screaming. He had never heard her scream before, not like that. Every cry pierced his heart, and it hurt worse than any bullet could.

It seemed like hours before the two guards shoved open the doorway and carelessly tossed down a limp figure. Kensi's face was streaked with blood, her eyes closed tightly. Her ragged undershirt had been sliced by a knife, and it hung open to reveal several bruises and wounds.

Deeks rushed to her side and knelt there. He was afraid to move her, in case something was broken. And when she opened her eyes, he knew that something was indeed broken. Something far worse than bones.

…

" Kensi, are you okay?" It was a stupid question. She'd just been tortured. Of course she wasn't okay.

" No." Kensi breathed. " Yes."

" Which one is it?" Deeks asked softly.

" My ribs-I think they're cracked, if not broken." Kensi told him. Deeks gently probed her ribs, running his fingers along the purple bruising. Kensi groaned and struggled to sit up. Deeks helped her against the wall.

" I'm no doctor, but those look bad. And your face…"

He raised one hand to brush against her bloody cheek. Kensi flinched. There were several long cuts marring her features. Her eyes, usually so bright and full of light, were dark and pained.

" Deeks, he wants something. He says that he needs information on a case from five years ago." Her gaze turned to panic. " I have no idea what case it is. He says his brother is in federal prison for killing a Navy petty officer."

Deeks rubbed his thumb across her cheek.

" Kensi, I promise you that we'll get out of here alive."

Kensi curled against him, wincing at the pain in her ribs. He put an arm carefully around her shoulders and held her gently.

" Deeks, the guards kicked me in the ribs until I couldn't breath, then started with the knife. They'll do whatever it takes to get this information."

Kensi's arm snaked around his waist and she laid her head on his chest.

" Even if it means killing me."

When he looked down, he saw tracks through the blood and dust on her face.

" Kensi, I swear that I will not let them kill you."

Her fingers found his, and she gripped his hand in the growing dark.

" Is it okay if I hold your hand?"

Deeks stroked her bloody knuckles with his thumb.

" Of course it's okay. Hey, just go to sleep. You're gonna hurt really bad in the morning."

He waited until her eyes closed and she breathed steadily. He didn't let go of her hand.

…

A full harvest moon was climbing high into the thick darkness when the guards came back. Leon was not with them. They left Kensi where lay and dragged Deeks kicking and fighting down the long corridor and into the narrow room. He was helpless against the muscular men as they handcuffed him to a metal chair. Deeks had never been handcuffed before, except in training exercises, and it made him feel weak. Like the criminals that he arrested, he was at the mercy of a much larger and powerful source.

" Detective Deeks, LAPD." Leon stood in the middle of the room, wearing a neatly pressed suit and spit-shined shoes. " I hope that your little girlfriend isn't too badly injured."

" Oh, she's fine. Just a couple of cracked ribs and her face cut to ribbons." He snarled. Leon laughed quietly.

" Good. We will be questioning her later. Now, for you."

" You don't have many friends at the LAPD, do you, Mr. Deeks?"

_Many? More like none. _Deeks thought. And while he had been eager to cut ties with his workplace, his lack of friends there meant that no one was looking for him.

" I work with NCIS now." Deeks said. Leon slid the shiny blade of a knife from some unseen sheath.

" I'm sure you've heard of a man named Roberto Javez." Leon said. Deeks had heard the name before, many times. Dropped in casual conversation at the LAPD and NCIS.

" The drug lord who got a life sentence for murdering a petty officer?" Deeks asked. " Sure I know him. My boss helped put him away." He tried to sound casual, but his voice felt shaky.

" Then you must know a man named Tomas Jimenez." Leon paced forwards, the cruel knife gleaming in the bleak light of a bare bulb.

" Never heard of him." Deeks said. This was true.

In a flash, the knife slashed Deeks' wrist. A thin line of red appeared there, followed by stinging pain.

" I told you, I don't know."

Leon snapped his fingers, and one of the guards stepped forwards and punched Deeks in the stomach.

_Shit! _Deeks thought as the air escaped his lungs. _Shit. They're really gonna kill me. _

It wasn't the last punch to be thrown that day, though Deeks repeatedly denied having any knowledge of a man named Tomas Jiminez. When the guards finally hauled him back to the cell, bloody and beaten, he collapsed to the dirt floor and lay there, panting.

Kensi seemed to have recovered quickly. Though she moved gingerly, she knelt at Deeks' shoulder. He was unconscious, but she spoke anyway, into the silence.

" Deeks. Marty. Come on, wake up. Don't die on me here."

He cracked one eye open. Kensi's visage hovered above him, eyes dark with worry.

" Your eyes turn black when you're afraid." Was all he said. Deeks sat up, fighting off a wave of dizziness.

" No concussion. You're lucky." Kensi informed him, ignoring the 'eyes' comment. Her voice sounded dry and cracked. She obviously hadn't eaten or drank all day.

" Lucky thing you're here." Deeks said. He remembered when he had gotten shot in that robbery-turned-assassination attempt on Kensi's life. How she had stayed at his bedside for hours, claiming she was 'security detail'. Even after the danger had passed, even after the would-be killers were dead or arrested, she had stayed there in the hospital room. Sure, she had eaten Deeks' jello and inspired a two hour debate over whether or not Batman and Robin were gay, but the point was that she had been there for him. And here she was now.

The cell door banged open, and one of the guards stepped in. Out of what seemed to be pure spite, he planted a hard kick in Deeks' ribs and grabbed Kensi' wrist.

" Hey!" Deeks croaked. " Where are you taking her?"

One of the guards sneered something in Spanish. Deeks, who was starting to regret sleeping through high school Espanol, gave him a dirty look. He tried to meet Kensi's eyes as she was dragged from the room.

_I promise you, Kenz. I promise I will not let them kill you. _

…

He could hear her screams again. So loud, so piercing, so haunting.

" Please." He heard her crying. " Stop it! Please."

" You assholes!" Deeks shouted at the wall. " She's begging you to stop. You _assholes_."

The screams continued, long and drawn-out, as if Leon and his guards were ripping Kensi's very soul to shreds. The sound of cries and screaming was interspersed with Kensi begging for her life. Deeks didn't think he'd ever felt such intense hatred.

Deeks had never been a very religious man. He rarely went to church, he wasn't a member of any religious group. But staring at the dark sky through that tiny window, he prayed harder than he'd ever prayed before.

_Please, if there's a god up there, please let Kensi get out of this one. You can let me die. You can kill me, God. Just don't let her die too. _

There was nothing. No holy light, no angel descending to save them. Nothing. Just dry wind whistling across the barren and lonely desert. Deeks leaned against the wall, ignoring the grinding pain in his ribs. He pressed his forehead to the cool cement.

_C'mon, Kensi. Fight them. Don't let them win. _

He froze. Something was wrong. Kensi was silent. She had stopped screaming.

…

The sound of the door banging open was the sweetest one he'd ever heard. It meant that Kensi wasn't dead, that they hadn't buried her body in a shallow grave somewhere in the desert.

" Kensi!" The door slammed shut and the lock ground back into place. " Kensi, can you hear me?"

She didn't stir. Deeks pressed his ear to her lips and heard her faint breath. Several minutes passed in a kind of horrible trance. Then one of Kensi' eyes opened. The other was too swollen shut.

" Marty." She murmured softly. " They got me."

" Shh. I know they did, Kenz. They got you. But they can't break you." Deeks passed a hand over her forehead, feeling his gut twist as she flinched. " Listen, Kensi, I have to lift up your shirt, okay?"

The tattered white garment hardly qualified as clothing anymore, but Deeks didn't want her to feel violated. He gently lifted the fabric, revealing her torso riddled with deep bruises. Some of them had turned black and yellow. There were several long, thin cuts, now a trademark of Leon's sharp knife. Nothing too serious, except for the cracked ribs. Still, without any first aid there was nothing he could do.

" Hey, Deeks." Kensi's eyelids fluttered. " I know who they're after."

" Who?" Deeks asked.

" A man named Tomas Jiminez. I mean, that's not his name anymore. After he testified in Roberto Javez's trial, he and his family entered the federal witness protection program. They're in Florida now, living under different names."

" Kensi." Deeks whistled softly. " You knew all this time who they were talking about and you didn't tell them? They freaking tortured you and you didn't give the guy up."

Kensi's eyes flickered with that golden light of determination. It was a small reminder that no matter how hard they pushed her, she wouldn't break. Ever.

" Tomas has a wife and five kids. I'm not letting his family die to save myself."

" Oh, baby girl." Deeks said. He didn't know where that came from. " Don't ever let anyone tell you you're not strong."

Kensi, sprawled helplessly on the floor, glanced up towards Deeks. Her dark hair fanned around her face like some dark angel's halo.

" I'm only holding out for you, Marty."

_She called me Marty. _Deeks thought. He squeezed her hand lightly.

" I swear, Kenz. They can beat me till I'm black and blue, slit my throat, kill me for all I care. But they're nevergetting to you."

" I knew you cared about me." Kensi said. Weak moonlight illuminated her face, her wide eyes and scars.

Deeks' heart was racing faster than he'd ever felt it race before.

" Not like a partner." He said. " More than a partner."

Kensi's eyes looked hollow and scared.

" Deeks, don't say that. Please, don't say that."

He opened his mouth to protest, but was silenced by the cell door being flung open.

_Shit. _

One of the guards stepped forwards and cuffed Kensi's wrist to Deeks'. Deeks managed a swift kick to the guard's shin, but missed. Kensi, weak as a kitten with pain, couldn't fight back. One of the guards stuck a gun in Deeks' back. He felt the cold metal pressing against his spine and wondered, not for the first time, what it would feel like to be shot through the back. To slip away peacefully, not screaming in pain like he'd seen others do.

" Move." The guard ordered. Kensi limped forwards.

" Where are you taking us?" Deeks demanded. He heard a slick Hispanic accent from somewhere to his right.

" You both have failed to provide the information I desired. Now you die for it."

" You can't kill her." Deeks said at once as they were forced along the narrow passage, past the long room where they had both endured so many hours of torture. " You can't kill her."

One of the guards opened a door and shoved Kensi and Deeks through. Cool wind, thickly scented with sagebrush and mesquite, blew sand particles into their eyes. They were forced along an uneven dirt path. Deeks stumbled over several rocks. Kensi's hand found his in the chaos. He held it like a lifeline.

It wasn't long before Deeks heard rushing water.

_A bridge. _He could see a wide river coursing beneath the roadway. Smooth dark water stretched away into the night, blending like charcoal with the blackness.

" Now, if you have anything you'd like to tell me, now is the time. If you give me everything you know about Tomas Jiminez, I will put a bullet through your head. If you don't, I will tie your hands and feet together and allow you to drown like animals." Leon smirked coldly in the chilly blue light of the moon. " Which will it be?"

" Don't kill her." Deeks said. " Kill me instead. Just let her go."

Leon stepped forwards, chuckling. He traced a hand over Kensi's cheek, laughing openly when she growled.

" Perhaps I will take her as a slave back to Mexico. What do you think? I think she would look nice as a trophy wife."

" I'd rather die instead." Kensi snapped. She held her head high, drawing back her shoulders. It was clear that the movement caused her pain.

" I know everything about Tomas Jiminez. And you'll never get any of the information."

Leon's face turned hard and cold.

" Kill them both."

One of the guards moved forwards and Deeks felt something hard shove against his back. And then he was falling through the cold air. He hit the water with a terrific amount of force. The effect was painful.

Somehow, the handcuffs were gone and he could feel Kensi's presence in the water beside him. She was sinking and he grabbed her wrist and held it. He held his breath under the water for long that it hurt. Time seemed to pass slowly in the murky brown underworld. Tiny bubbles rose around them, and Deeks felt like he was choking. His lungs burned, desperate for air, until he broke the surface. He pulled Kensi with him. The figures on the bridge were gone.

Deeks dragged Kensi out onto the slick mud of the riverbank. She wasn't breathing. Deeks though his heart stopped when he felt no pulse.

" No." He compressed her chest, remembering the countless CPR classes he had been forced to take as a cop. " Come on, baby. Come on. Breath. Breath."

He decided that CPR wasn't enough. He felt almost wrong, his mouth on hers, breathing life back into her limp body. She spit water suddenly, coughing and hacking like an influenza patient.

" Kensi." Deeks panted. " Damn it."

Exhausted, he flopped down next to her on the cold ground. Her hand closed around his. There were a million stars scattered across the heavens and Deeks suddenly felt as though the touch of her skin on his was the only thing holding him down.

" I thought you were dead." He breathed. Kensi rolled over, pressing her damp body against his.

"I'm okay, Deeks. Come on. Let's get home."

…

" So then we hitched a ride on some guy's turnip truck-I swear he didn't speak any English at all-and now we're here." Kensi babbled to Sam, Callen and Hetty. Their frantic boss, who had been ready to call out the cavalry, looked relieved to see her agents back home safely.

" Kensi, you're cut up and bruised. Not to mention dehydrated. You should go the ER." Sam said wisely. Kensi gave him a wide-eyed look.

" You know how I feel about hospitals, Sam. I'll just go sleep in the cribs for a few hours."

And she hobbled away, leaving Sam, Callen and Deeks.

" How bad was it?" Callen asked. " The interrogation?"

Deeks watched Kensi limp off.

" Bad. She's not showing it, of course. And she'll never tell you. She's a lot stronger than she looks."

Callen and Sam shared a single glance, then both walked away with purposeful strides. Deeks shook his head. His brain felt fuzzy. In the end, he followed Kensi down to the cribs.

…

The 'cribs' consisted of several small rooms with a sagging cot in each one. He found Kensi in the last one, sitting on the edge of the bed in socks and an NCIS sweatshirt. Deeks tried not to stare at her legs, since all she was wearing was a pair of skimpy shorts. He averted his eyes, but she caught him looking. Instead of a reprimand or sarcastic comment, Kensi scooted over.

Deeks hovered nervously in the doorway.

" I, uh, I just wanted to make sure that you're okay."

Kensi's eyes reminded him of a deer trapped in the headlight's beam.

" I'm fine." A stony answer, a barrage of emotion hidden behind a dam of lies. Deeks moved forwards, wanting to comfort her, to hold her.

" You're not fine."

She just stared at him. He had seen the look before, after she had shot and killed a dangerous criminal on the Santa Monica Pier. The same hollow look that he had seen in Russia.

He turned to go. There were some things you couldn't fight.

" Wait." Kensi's voice halted him in the doorway. " Please, um, stay."

" Sure." Deeks closed and locked the door and carefully removed his muddy boots. He sat down the edge of the bed.

" I just don't want to be alone right now."

She curled against him and Deeks held her. The next thing he knew, she was kissing him, a lot harder than he would have imagined. She pushed him backwards and pressed hard against him. Deeks held her back.

" Kensi, what are you doing?"

Kensi slid her arms around Deeks' neck and groaned softly against his mouth.

" What does it look like I'm doing, dumbass?"

" Kensi, no." He held her closer. " You're out of your mind. Trust me, in the morning you would have regretted that. Just go to sleep."

She lay down and curled into a ball, her head on Deeks' chest. He put his arms around her and held her tightly.

" Deeks, what you said earlier about caring about me more than a partner should…did you mean that?"

Deeks glanced towards the ceiling.

" Kensi, I think we've been through just about every kind of torture together. I'm gonna love you till the day I die."

…

The next day, an article was published in the Los Angeles Times. It was by no means a headliner, but it made the print all the same. The article was entitled: Notorious Arms Dealer Killed in Remote Compound. _Friday night, unknown assassins entered the compound of notorious arms dealer Leon Javez and killed Javez and two armed body guards. Javez, who was under investigation by the FBI and BTF, was killed by multiple stab wounds to the body. He was also castrated. While state police have no leads, the investigation will likely go unsolved. Rio Grande Deputy Sheriff Leroy Brown was quoted as saying 'Out here, it's an eye for an eye. The guy deserved it'. A farmer whose property borders the compound claims that he saw two figures dressed in black approaching the compound using a maneuver commonly used by the Navy SEALs. The US military had no comment on the matter. _

That morning, Sam and Callen seemed far more cheerful than usual.

A/N: Ah, my friends, we've gotten this far! This is by far the longest chapter I've written, so it's a lot to think about in one sitting. Think of it as eating one very large meal in a short amount of time. Anyway, thanks for reading this far. If any wants an epilog, I'll write one! Have a great week, everyone.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews, guys! This is the end, finally! I MAY write a sequel to this, but it's doubtful. Although, Kensi and Deeks will be together in any story I write.

Friday night, just after nine o'clock. The carnival rides of the Santa Monica Pier threw dancing lights onto the dark water. Kensi and Deeks walked, hand in hand, a cold, salty breeze tossing the ocean into distant white caps.

" This has been one hell of a year." Kensi said. Water lapped against the pier pilings, slapping the ancient wood with a comforting sound.

" No kidding." Deeks agreed. " But we made it."

" Barely." She added. They laughed. Kensi laced her fingers tightly through Deeks' and leaned against the railing. It was a chilly night, and most of the tourists were gone. A few night fishermen and the odd group of teenage girls remained behind, but most of the activity was centered on the piers' 'Fun Zone'.

Kensi watched a group of teenage girls walk past, arms linked. Three younger boys rushed past, clutching brightly colored wads of cotton candy.

" We have to take our kids here." Kensi blurted suddenly. Deeks turned to her with a surprised expressions on his face. She flushed.

_Way to go, Kenz. Scare 'em off before the third date. _

" Of course." Deeks said with one of his easy smiles. Kensi grinned and was sure that her heart was melting inside.

" You know something, Kenz?" Deeks asked.

" I know a lot of things, Marty." She replied jokingly. He squeezed her hand.

" No kidding, _Wikipedia_." He adopted an adorably serious expression. " But honestly, Kensi. This past year has been the hardest one of my life. If you weren't there with me, I wouldn't have made it through."

Kensi knew that this conversation was cheesy, but she felt suddenly weak and in love.

" I think it's fair to say that we both saved each other."

" I've never loved anyone as much as I love you." Deeks said, sliding an arm around Kensi's waist. She leaned against his shoulder and held his hand tightly. There had been a time once, when the ocean had called to her as a sort of escape. When every guy she dated ran away when he found out about her past and her present. When all she did was run.

_You're all that I need, _she thought.

" Kensi Blye, you are the only girl I love. I want to be with you forever."

Kensi tried to say something, but her throat felt suddenly tight. Tears blurred her eyes. She didn't bother wiping them away.

…

10 years later:

" Mommy, mommy, can I go on the Lil' Scrambler again?" Annie pleaded, tugging her mother's jacket. Kensi laughed and stroked her daughter's dark hair. Annie had the same dark features as her mother, the same bright-eyed intelligence, the same determination.

" Hang on, honey. Wait until Daddy gets here with Jake." Kensi watched as her husband wove through the crowd with a young boy clinging to his hand.

" Hey kids, do you want to see a really special place?"

" Sure!" Annie exclaimed. Jake rolled his eyes and asked to go on the roller coaster instead. Deeks pointed to a spot on the pier, beyond the whirling carnival rides. The day was clear and one could see the distant humps of Palos Verdes and Catalina Island in the distance.

" This is where I asked your mom to marry me." Deeks said.

" That's so cheesy, Dad." Jake replied.

" Awww." Annie grinned. " That's super cute, Daddy. Is that when you realized that it was _true love_?"

Deeks just smiled and shook his head.

Many hundreds of miles away, in the middle of the desert lands by the California/Mexico border there lay an abandoned compound. No human had been there in many years, but it was still one of the most important places to Marty Deeks. It was there that he had realized what true love was.

A/N: Well, that's it! Hope everyone enjoyed this story, and thanks for all the reviews. Be on the lookout for my next fic, which will actually be a-gasp-OC fic.


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